Circus Windows has finished, but you can continue to read my webcomics on the STEEPLE website (steeple.church) with a new story, Author Unknown?, beginning on Monday. It’s a Steeple/Charlotte crossover modelled on the classic Magnum PI/Murder She Wrote tie-up episodes and I think it keeps the quality high. I hope to see you there.
I did a big process post about Circus Windows, also talking about what I learned writing Wicked Things. It’s an open Patreon post, no subscription required. There’s one of my 22-page issue breakdowns included as a download, which may be of interest to comic writers. You may just ask, “how could anyone learn anything from this gnomic document,” but that’s your problem my fine friend and this is just how Stan and Jack did it (er, it probably isn’t, don’t fact-check this).
The final Bad Machinery book is out today from Oni Press in comic shops, and will follow in normal bookshops shortly after. If you can’t find it, ask for it! I finished the original comics nearly four years ago, so even I can barely remember what happens in it. I recall a cursed pearl, a confusing traffic system and some angst. I do recall that I gave it my all in the run-out groove.
There are new pages and some bonus bits in the back, I sincerely hope you enjoy it.
Here are my albums of the year for 2020. A bad year for living but a good year for listening, that’s what I reckon. I spent a lot of time listening to old sounds that brought back better times, but also found a lot of comfort in seeking out new records.
I’ve made a Spotify playlist with selections from almost all the records here, but if you like it, remember to buy it because (almost) no one’s boiling any eggs with streaming cash!
All my previous charts of the year are on one big page here.
1 HOUSES OF THE HOLY – Psychic Temple
2 FETCH THE BOLT CUTTERS – Fiona Apple
3 THE NEON SKYLINE – Andy Shauf
4 PLEASURE, JOY AND HAPPINESS – Eddie Chacon
5 SONGS FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC – Lemon Twigs
6 MICROPHONES IN 2020 – The Microphones
7 DELETED SCENES – Once And Future Band
8 SIDEWAYS TO NEW ITALY – Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
9 ANNUAL – Modern Nature
10 THE DIRT AND THE STARS – Mary Chapin Carpenter
11 SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF – BC Camplight
12 SAWAYAMA – Rina Sawayama
13 FEAR OF DEATH – Tim Heidecker
14 INLET – Hum
15 YOUR HERO IS NOT DEAD – Westerman
16 NEW KINDA LOVE – Notches
17 SUITE FOR MAX BROWN – Jeff Parker
18 BEEN AROUND – A Girl Called Eddy
19 TRADITIONAL TECHNIQUES – Stephen Malkmus
20 THE MAIN THING – Real Estate
21 ROUGH AND ROWDY WAYS – Bob Dylan
22 SET MY HEART ON FIRE IMMEDIATELY – Perfume Genius
23 SUMMERLONG – Rose City Band
24 ROMANTIC COMEDY – Summer Camp
25 ACID RAIN – Amos Pitsch
26 THAT’S HOW RUMORS GET STARTED – Margo Price
27 YOU’RE NOT ALONE EP – Semisonic
28 LAND OF NO JUNCTION – Aoife Nessa Frances
29 SAINT CLOUD – Waxahatchee
30 COULD HAVE LOVED U BETTER EP – School Of Language
31 FOOTBALL MONEY – Kiwi Jr
32 NO DREAM – Jeff Rosenstock
33 JUMP ROPE GAZERS – The Beths
34 ALL THROUGH THE YEAR EP/PRACTICE EP – Home Blitz
35 JOHNNY – Lawn
36 HIGH COUNTRY SKYWAY – R Boyd & Dusk
37 XOXO – The Jayhawks
38 DARK HEARTS – Annie
39 CUTTIN GRASS VOL 1 – Sturgill Simpson
40 GOONS BE GONE – No Age
After 11 years of mystery, badmachinery.com has been pressed into action. This node has finally been jacked into. Call the cyber police immediately.
Happy Christmas from me and an AI-generated* Shelley Winters. See you in January!
*maybe
